Goodbye
by BlueFireIce
Summary: It was a funeral they never wanted to attend and words they had hoped they would never have to say. WARNING: Character Death (Rated T for mild swearing)


**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or its characters**

The silence that filled the air was deafening. No one spoke a word as the four men carried the casket down the aisle. The wind didn't even move as they took each muted step. The chairs held those with broken hearts and disbelief. The silence spoke more volumes than words ever could. At the end of the walkway stood a priest with blonde hair and blue eyes. His eyes were sad and still held a hint of disbelief.

The four men set down the casket, standing a moment around it, feeling heartbroken, before they stepped back to their seats. The priest started to read from the bible, speaking the words most commonly spoken at a funeral. Many times the man had thought that he wouldn't be able to actually preside over the funeral but in the end he decided he would be strong enough to face the death of his close friend. He would be the one to send their spirit away to God. Finally he closed his book and looked to the small, but very important crowd, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Mai Taniyama was a friend to us all, some closer than others but the place she held in our hearts can never be filled by anyone else." John felt his throat trying to close and he swallowed past the lump. "Mai was a dear and wonderful person to me. She was cheerful and bright, a guide to those who were lost. She opened her heart to everyone, wishing to believe that every person was good deep in their hearts. Even in the darkest of moments, her will did not shatter. Mai held a strength that many people couldn't imagine and upon her shoulders she held burdens that would make some of the strongest men crumble. The light of her soul will never diminish, no matter where it ventures."

John stepped to the side, allowing another person to stand up and speak to the group. Quickly Monk stepped up, wiping at his tears and clearing his throat before speaking. It took him a few moments to actually start his speech and he continually glanced toward the casket that held the brunette's body.

"Mai was the little sister I never had. She was so bubbly but feisty too. Just one look at her and one would think she had such a comfortable and happy life. But many of us didn't know for the longest time that Mai had no parents to speak of. No family left that could take her in. There were those along the way who helped but finally she got the job with SPR and worked while going to school. And fighting ghosts, poltergeists, and even demons couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Nothing could bring down the spirit of Mai, not even death itself." The monk cleared his throat again and wiped at his eyes, stepping down to allow someone else to speak.

"When Mai and I first met, it wasn't under ordinary circumstances and it wasn't pleasant." Lin started, making a few people who knew the story laugh. "And for a long while, her and I didn't get along. We left each other alone, saying nothing. But finally she confronted me and taught me something that someone had tried to teach me long ago. It was when she chastised me that we started becoming less like enemies and more like friends. It still took time but finally, we could speak to one another without either one getting irritated." The Chinese man paused, smiling faintly. "Mai was stubborn and strong willed. Even when most people would back away from me, she would push. She fought my irritation towards her with tooth and nail. And she won. But that was just the kind of person Mai was. She was determined and stubborn in a way that drew most people to her like a moth to a flame. Our relationship started out as enemies but ended as friends because…" He chuckled a little, "That's just the way Mai was. No one could hate the woman known as Mai Taniyama."

Lin stepped down and Naru stood up, feeling very unsure of himself. Lin was the one who had convinced the man to speak at the funeral. As the scientist looked out at the small crowd he felt a sense of calm wash over him. Everyone who worked for SPR was there along with Naru's parents and Madoka, Mai's two school friends whose names he never bothered to remember, the principal from her high school, and the teacher who had helped Mai out when she was first an orphan.

"I've never spoken at a funeral before." It was true. Even at his own brother's funeral he had kept silent. He had already grieved the loss and felt no need to try and connect to those still grieving. But he was still mournful over the loss of his assistant. She had been taken from him in such a similar fashion to how Gene was killed. Luckily, this person was a decent human being and called for help while performing CPR. Unfortunately the young brunette, only twenty years old, wasn't saved.

"I didn't write a speech…" It was strange for the members of SPR seeing their boss so much more emotional than usual. He seemed lost and little more than confused. "I've known Mai since she was fifteen. I hired her as a personal assistant to me and my company while she still was in school. To this day I cannot tell you what compelled me to hire her on but I don't regret doing so." He paused, seeming unsure of his words. "I was to learn, later on, that Mai came from a background similar to my own. Her birth parents had both passed on, much like my own. I was lucky in that my adoptive parents found my brother and I. Mai was lucky to have a teacher who was very invested in her well being.

"Mai Taniyama, as those before me have said, was strong and stubborn. She would always push as far as she could to do what she felt was the right thing to do. She was a woman guided not by logic or facts but by emotions and a sense of moral justice. Even those who were her rival were taken care of by her. As long as Mai could, she would make sure the people who needed taking care of were taken care of and would endanger herself to do it if need be. She was stubborn in the best of ways. It's just who she was.

"She was like a light in an otherwise dark room. I have always thought maybe I hired her because she was so much like my brother who I missed and maybe that was my initial reason but as time wore on, it became less and less of the reason I kept her around. Mai grew on me, on all of those she was around; it was a power she possessed strongly." Naru paused, realizing he was rambling, but it seemed no one was bothered and were actually entranced by his words so he continued on. "Mai didn't have many weaknesses. One of the ones she had was me. I had to ability to get under her skin like no one else. We fought so many times over such stupid things because that's just who we were. Mai's other weakness was family. And Shibuya Psychic Research was her family. She was the little sister of our group and was protected fiercely but she protected us all right back, no matter what." Naru felt a lump growing in his throat and it was odd to him. He hadn't cried since he had mentally seen his brother die, yet he felt the same choking sensation that crying gave. The raven haired man let out a cough, feeling tears trying to well into his eyes. He fought them.

"We protected her as much as we could but…" He glanced at the casket and everyone could already tell what the end of his sentence was. He knew he didn't need to complete it. Without looking away from the casket, he continued talking. "Mai Taniyama, you were loved and will be missed."

As Oliver stepped down, everyone lined up to say their goodbyes to Mai in the casket. He sat down in the chair, feeling a little weak at the knees. As the people walked by, they placed a hand on his shoulder, showing their appreciation of his words and sharing in his grief. But his eyes stayed glued to the casket.

"Oh Mai," Masako whispered, tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. She tenderly placed her hand on to the casket, choking back a sob. "I didn't want you to go. No matter how many times we fought, I didn't want you to go." The medium's breathing was heavy and with one last caress to the wooden casket, she turned and walked away, letting the next person come up.

"Mai," Ayako whimpered out, tears making makeup trail down her cheeks. "You've left me alone to deal with the monk and his antics. How am I going to properly chastise him without you here to help me? We all told you to be more careful. Why didn't you listen?" The priestess let out a shaky sigh before walking away to stand near Masako.

"I was supposed to be the one to help you out in college," Yasuhara started, a sad smile on his face. "I was going to help you not panic during finals of senior year." He paused, chuckling a little. "Even though I've never gotten to glimpse the afterlife, I'm sure it's just as crazy as this one. You're probably already used to it since you always got to see part of it in your dreams. Have fun up there, Mai." The college student turned and walked away, no tears falling. He was sad but he was also able to take peace from the fact that there was an afterlife and Mai most certainly would be there.

"Mai, you were one of my closest friends. We had so much fun on cases." John started, smiling at the casket while tears sat in his eyes. "I've asked God to keep an eye on you while you travel the astral world. Lord knows you need someone watching out for you." The priest laughed a little before patting the wood and then he walked to visit with the medium and priestess.

"Good luck, Mai. Gene can be just as difficult as Oliver is. Hopefully he isn't giving you too much trouble." Luella said while Martin stood by her side. Naru had told them a long while ago that Mai had gotten to astral walk with Gene on many cases. It comforted the parents to know that their adopted son was still just as joyful in the afterlife as he was in the world of the living. They walked off and sat in chairs at the back, knowing that their son wouldn't want to be bothered at that moment.

Lin said nothing as he reached the casket. He knew, for the most part, that funerals were for the living. He was sad to see the young girl go before her time but knew she would be safe with Gene. If she was anything like the deceased Davis twin, they would be scouting out for ghosts and maybe even helping on cases in the future. The Chinese man smiled, remembering all of the time the two had gotten to share before turning to go and sit with Naru's parents.

"Jou-chan," Monk's voice trembled and a tear rolled down his cheek. He brought a shaking hand up to sit atop the casket and then laid his forehead against it, closing his eyes as more tears began rolling down his face. Mai was such a close person to him and he couldn't imagine ghost hunting without her. "I was supposed to keep you safe. I knew all of the ways to protect you from a harmful spirit or from Naru's hurtful words but a car? I could have shoved you out of the way if I were there." Monk's hand that wasn't on the casket clenched into a fist. "You were taken by a stupid car." A sob rang from his throat and he placed the fist on the wood, trying to keep his crying quiet. "I'll miss you, Jou-chan. I'll really miss you."

The monk turned and left the casket, allowing Madoka, the two friends from school, the teacher, and the principal to say their words to Mai. He walked over to Ayako and the priestess smiled a little and held the crying man, who began bawling in her arms like a young boy. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she caressed his hair. Monk had always been closer to Mai than Ayako had been and it was painful to see the normally composed man in shambles.

Finally everyone had said what they had wanted and only Naru was left to speak. He continued to stare at the casket from the chair he sat in. SPR was still off to the side and they watched him with teary eyes. None of them could even begin to imagine what was going through his head. The whole group knew he loved Mai. Even if he hadn't been able to say it to her, they could all see it. She was the reason he came back to Japan. The scientist had used the excuse of better ghost hunting in Japan compared to England but no one really bought it besides Mai.

"They are going to lower her into the ground soon, Noll." Lin said from behind the young man. He jumped a little but turned to look to his assistant and nodded his head before standing. Slowly he brought his feet over to the casket and the wind blew softly, almost as if urging him forward. Finally he reached it and placed a hand on the wood, feeling its smooth, glossy finish. For a long while he just stared, feeling blank inside but after a while he spoke.

"You idiot." The words brought a very small smile to his face but also the lump in his throat was back. He could feel the eyes of all of the members of SPR on his back. "I don't know how many times I told you to be aware of your surroundings." The man chuckled and shook his head, trying to stop the pricking feeling in his eyes. "Out everything that could have gotten you by now, it was a car. All of that ghost hunting and the thing that would take you from here was a stupid car…" He felt the tears starting to form. "You and Gene are way too much alike, you know that." He clenched his fist and bit the inside of his cheek, doing everything he could to keep the tears at bay.

"You never even taught me exactly how you make my tea. I can't even make my tea the way you do it and I was the one who told you how!" Naru grumbled, trying to keep his words lighthearted. He was finding it to be more and more difficult. "Damn it, who's going to make my tea now?" A tear fell down his cheek and the scientist sighed. No matter how many years he had dealt with death, things like loved ones dying would never get easier.

"I know I left for a year but I did eventually come back." He whispered, pain filling his voice. "You can't come back to me, Mai." Another tear rolled down his cheek. "I need you, Mai." And it was true. He had gotten used to life with her and now he would have to suffer through the massive change just like he had with his brother. "I love you, Mai." Naru whimpered out before biting the inside of his cheek again, trying to keep the crying at bay.

The wind seemed to caress his cheek and he leaned his forehead against the casket, just like the monk had done. His chest tightened and tears started to fall from his face and he bit back the sobs he wanted to cry. First his dear twin and now his first love. Life had it out for him or something. His body shook from the suppressed sobbing and the raven haired man felt so many emotions. He was angry, actually beyond angry, at the injustice served not only to him but to Mai. She deserved to have known that her feelings weren't unrequited but he had never been able to tell her. Naru cursed himself for taking the woman for granted.

The scientist wasn't sure how long he had stood there, nor how long it had been since his tears had stopped, but finally he straightened up and wiped his eyes and cheeks, breathing in deeply before opening his eyes and glancing to the small table that sat beside the casket. It had a picture of Mai's smiling face and he felt a small one drift on to his own. She was with his twin and he could be happy knowing that she would be safe with Gene and that one day they would get to meet again.

"Goodbye, Mai." Naru whispered before turning away from it and walking off, the eyes of everyone following his movements. But the man didn't stay to talk. He just didn't have the will to do anything but go home and sleep. And no one stopped his leaving but all of their hearts broke not only for the loss of Mai but for the deep sadness that was nestled into Naru's heart.

**A/N:** So I totally cried while writing this. It was difficult to write but I was watching a documentary on the Kennedy assassination and felt compelled to write a sad piece. Also, the four men carrying the casket were Naru, Lin, Yasuhara, and Monk.


End file.
